Sharp-Shinned Hawk

Scientific Name- “Accipiter striatus“

The sharp-shinned hawk is one of three North American accipiter hawks. The other two are the northern goshawk “Accipiter gentilis” and the cooper’s hawk “Accipiter cooperii.” Sharp-shinned hawks are the smallest of the three. Male sharp-shinned hawks are the smallest hawks in North America. They are slightly larger than the American Kestrel “Falco sparverius,” which is actually a falcon.

Also, see Cooper’s Hawk – Krebs Creek and Northern Goshawk – Krebs Creek.

Sharp-Shinned Hawk Characteristics

Sharp-shinned hawks have a phenotype typical of accipiters in that they have short, rounded wings and a long rudder-like tail. Additionally, sharp-shinned hawks are sexually dimorphic, with females being 1/3 larger than males.

Sharp-Shinned Hawk Coloration

Adult sharp-shinned hawks are bluish grey on top and white underneath with rufous brownish-orange bars on the breast. Additionally, they have whitish throats and alternately dark and light-gray banded tails. They have orange or red eyes, tending to become redder with age. They also have yellow legs that are proportionately long and thin. Their legs are also molded to a triangular leading edge. This is the rationale behind their common name.

Immature birds are brown on top and cream-colored underneath. Additionally, they are often streaked with reddish-brown on the breast and belly. What’s more, juvenile sharp-shinned hawks have yellow eyes.

Sharp-Shinned Hawk vs. Cooper’s Hawk

Sharp-shinned hawk identification can be confusing if you’re in an area that also holds cooper’s hawks. Sharp-shins look like a smaller version of a cooper’s hawk. Female sharp-shinned hawks and male cooper’s hawks are even about the same size, which makes identification between the birds confusing. However, there are a couple of differences between the two birds besides the difference in size. First of all, a cooper’s hawk has a rounded tail, and a sharp-shinned hawk has a square-tipped tail. Another difference between the two birds is their appearance in flight. Cooper’s hawk’s fly with their heads thrust forward while the head of the sharp-shinned hawk barely protrudes beyond its wings.

Sharp-Shinned Hawk Size

Male sharp-shinned hawks are up to 1/3 smaller than females. They are 23 to 30 cm (9.1 to 11.8 in) long and have a wingspan of 42 to 58 cm (17 to 23 in), and weigh from 82–115 g (2.9–4.1 oz). On the other hand, the female measures 29 to 37 cm (11 to 15 in) in length, has a wingspan of 58 to 68 cm (23 to 27 in), and weighs 150 to 219 g (5.3 to 7.7 oz) on average. Their wings are 14.1–22.9 cm (5.6–9.0 in) apiece. Source

Sharp-Shinned Hawk Range

There are four sub-species of the sharp-shinned hawk.

“Accipiter striatus“

The nominate subspecies, “Accipiter striatus,” range throughout all the forested regions of Canada and the United States. They live as far north as the tree line in Alaska and Canada during the breeding and nesting season. These same northern birds might migrate to wintering grounds as far south as the Greater Antilles islands or Panama for the winter. There are also small non-migratory populations of “Accipiter striatus” In Canada, the United States, Mexico, and some Caribbean islands.

“Accipiter striatus chionogaster“

The common name for this bird is the white-breasted hawk. They live in southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Source

“Accipiter striatus ventralis“

The common name for this bird is Plain Breasted Hawk. They live in Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. Source

“Accipiter striatus erythronemius“

The common name for this bird is Rufous Thighed Hawk. They live in Guyana, Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands. Source

Sharp-Shinned Hawk Habitat

Sharp-shinned Hawks are forest birds. The only time they’re found in areas deficient of trees is during migration. These birds require dense or closed canopy forest for breeding and nesting, possibly to gain better concealment from their predators, such as northern goshawks and great horned owls.

While they favor conifer forests, they’re flexible depending on the species of trees available. They also nest in stands of aspen in the western United States and deciduous hardwood forests in the mid-west and the eastern U.S.

They occupy elevations from sea level to near timberline in the summer. However, northern populations tend to migrate away from higher elevations in the fall.

If you live in a rural or suburban area, a good place to see a sharp-shinned hawk is around your bird feeder. The reason is that they have learned that this is a good place to ambush their prey.

Sharp-Shinned Hawk Diet

The bird feeder in your backyard is a potential hunting and ambush ground for sharp-shinned hawks. Small birds make up about 90% of the Sharp-shinned hawk’s diet. They predominantly catch birds that are the size of meadowlarks and robins or smaller. However, they will also occasionally prey on ruffed grouse and quail.

Sharp-shinned hawks also eat small mammals such as squirrels, bats, mice, and voles. They will also prey on frogs, lizards, snakes, and large insects such as grasshoppers.

Sharp-shinns are also known to rob the nests of other birds of their hatchlings and fledglings.

Sharp-Shinned Hawk Behavior

Hunting Behavior

Sharp-shinned hawks are stealthy predators. They by surprising their prey. These birds sit motionlessly and observe their surroundings from inconspicuous perches, waiting for their prey,” primarily small birds,” to enter their zone of attack. They use a stealthy approach when they attack, followed by powerful high-speed flight. They intend to take their prey by complete surprise.

They are capable of high-speed flight and often catch birds on the wing. However, if they’re in a chase that lasts too long, they will break off pursuit in favor of finding easier prey.

Backyard bird feeders often attract sharp-shinned hawks due to the large number of small birds that will visit there.

Clearings in dense forests also make good hunting grounds for sharp-shinned hawks. Meadow grasses and flowers attract insects which in turn attract small birds. The sharp-shinn can wait and observe from the concealment of a lofty perch at the meadow’s edge as it waits for its prey to enter its zone of attack.

Like northern goshawks and cooper’s hawks, sharp-shinned hawks pluck the birds they catch before dismembering and eating them. Finding plucking posts or places where they perch to pluck their prey is a sign that a sharp-shinned hawk pair may live nearby.

Mating Behavior

Sharp-shinned hawks are monogamous. Their breeding season runs between late March and June. These birds are normally secretive, preferring to be concealed under the dense forest canopy. However, during courtship, the pair may circle above their nesting site, calling to announce ownership of their territory and the male sometimes circles high above before diving steeply into the forest canopy. Source

During the breeding season, these birds are territorial and will harass and attack intruders to their territory.

Nesting, Brooding And life History

The pair will sometimes construct their nest on top of the old nest of another bird, such as a crow. They build stick nests lined with strips and chips of bark and greenery from the forest floor. In most cases, their nests are 20 to 60 feet above the ground, somewhere concealed in the forest canopy.

A typical sharp-shinned hawk clutch consists of 4 to 5 eggs, although as many as 8 eggs have been recorded. The incubation period can be as little as 30 days and may go as long as 35 days.

Their chicks are born covered in white down but helpless. Consequently, their mother will have to brood them for up to 23 days while the male provides food and defends their territory.

The young fledge may move out of the nest onto nearby branches at 4 weeks of age. They’ll be able to fly by the time they’re 5 weeks old. They won’t be fully independent for another 4 weeks, though, and they won’t be fully mature until they’re 2 years old. Source

Although there are exceptions of these birds living to 12 years of age, the average lifespan of a sharp-shinned hawk is about 5 years.